Alice is living with pre-diabetes, but she’s taking an important step to reverse her risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Follow her health journey as she completes the diabetes prevention program and travels the road to better health.
Hello!
I’m Alice. I’m 62 years young, and my husband and I live in Huntersville. I work as a registered nurse at a physician practice in Charlotte. I love sewing, curling up with a good book and going to the movies (science fiction is my favorite). Now that our son and daughter are grown, my husband and I stay busy taking care of our many dogs. They might be more work to take care of than our children were!
Taking Stock of My Health
My health journey has been a long one, filled with plenty of ups and downs. Over the years, my weight has crept up despite my efforts to stay in a healthy range. It doesn’t help that my husband and I are homebodies – outside of walking the dogs, most of our favorite activities aren’t the most physical. (Reading and knitting don’t require much athletic ability!) I hate to say it, but in our house, exercise is something of a four-letter word.
And when it comes to Type 2 diabetes, it gets personal. Both my mother and grandmother had it, and my husband currently lives with the disease and is insulin dependent. I’ve seen firsthand the struggle of managing and living with Type 2 diabetes, and I’ve witnessed the toll it can take. I know I don’t want that for myself.
My Wake-Up Call
Around the holidays (a wonderful time of year but a nightmare for the waistline!), I went to my primary care physician for my annual wellness visit. When my numbers came back, I learned I had prediabetes and was at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. I didn’t want to face it, but I knew I had to make some changes.
Shortly after my doctor’s visit, I heard about the
Pre-D Challenge, a diabetes prevention initiative from Atrium Health and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. The Pre-D Challenge offers people who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes an opportunity to participate in a diabetes prevention program. The program promised to help reverse my risk for diabetes, and even though the inner skeptic in me had some doubts, the hopeful voice in me won out.
I thought: This is it. If I don’t commit to changes now, I’m not sure I ever will.
That day, I decided to sign up for a diabetes prevention program class taking place at NorthLake Mall, close to home. I was hesitant, but excited to see what could happen.
I was ready to make a change!
